Before&After Design Tip: Design a CD-Size Card Deck that Opens Into Its Own Display
Learn how to design a deck of loose cards to fit in a clear CD case that flips open for desktop display.
Here’s a quick design tip on collateral, CD design from issue 41 of Before&After Magazine.
Here’s a great way to spend a year on someone’s desktop: Design a CD-size deck of loose cards (two dozen on heavy stock is about right), and deliver in a clear CD case that flips open for desktop display. You may want to include a cover card and in the back a brochure-like text card or two. Cards can be printed on one or both sides.

The more “keepable” your piece is, the better; calendars are perfect, as are favorite sayings, recipes or tips on topics of shared interest.
CreativePro members can download original content from Before&After Magazine, a beloved resource that taught a generation of newly minted digital designers how to design and communicate effectively with the written word. See our archive here.
© John McWade/Before&After Magazine, courtesy of Gaye Anne McWade.
This article was last modified on January 3, 2026
This article was first published on March 14, 2025
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